A visit to A Piece of Cloth

After my road trip, I came home with scores of things that I wanted to share.  One of those gems is a studio turned fabric shop that I visited in Fyansford VIC. For those who aren't familiar with Australian geography, Fyansford is located near Geelong about an hour out of Melbourne. In an old mill on the back roads of Fyansford, you'll find A Piece of Cloth. The mill itself is worth a visit with it's vintage smoke stacks and a winding history that ran the gamut from basic commodities to war time production. It's a building with history which Jen, the owner of A Piece of Cloth, can tell you all about.

Inside, you'll find Australia's best vintage fabric shop, although Jen is reluctant to use the word shop. She views the space as her studio where people come by to rummage and dig; they get advice and then take home goodies that she's sourced from around the world. Let me tell you though, it's a shop. The goodies are very good, and you'll want to bring your bankcard.

Jen has a wide range of vintage fabrics and feedsacks specializing in 1920s-1950s prints. Jen isn't just an owner or a seller; she's someone truly passionate about textiles and designs. Though I hadn't expected to stay that long, I found myself visiting with her for nearly two hours over coffee as she talked me through nuances of scale, tone and repeats. She's well-versed in the history of patchwork and appreciates the frugality and make-do nature that early quilters faced. If you go in to visit, start talking with her. You'll learn so much.

The space is set up with a large wall of vintage bolts. Around the room you'll find piles of feedsacks, boxes of offcuts and stacks of vintage quilt blocks. You'll also see quite a few antiques on display. When you're there, dig and rummage. You'll find gems. Despite being vintage, the fabrics are in good condition. If you're not sure where to start, the precut scrap packs are a great introduction to vintage collecting. In addition to smaller pieces, there are also large cuts suitable for clothing and home decor.

A Piece of Cloth is currently located at

9/100 Lower Paper Mill Rd
Fyansford, Victoria
studio@apieceofcloth.com.au

I recommend calling first to organize your visit. Jen will be overseas soon sourcing more vintage gems. Being just a short way out of Melbourne, it would be a terrific sewing group day out.

If you can't make it into the shop, A Piece of Cloth is online too.

It was great to chat with Jen about her thoughts of fabric design. When she returns from her buying trip, she'll be teaching some workshops on color theory and design. My gut feeling is that these will be very good. Keep an eye on the facebook page for more details. I really enjoyed my trip to A Piece of Cloth. I think you will too.

happy crafting, amy badskirt.